Three Short Poems
July 6, 2023The Unknown Citizen
July 6, 2023They Wondered Why the Fruit had Been Forbidden
They wondered why the fruit had been forbidden:
It taught them nothing new. They hid their pride,
But did not listen much when they were chidden:
They knew exactly what to do outside.
They left. Immediately the memory faded
Of all they known: they could not understand
The dogs now who before had always aided;
The stream was dumb with whom they’d always planned.
They wept and quarrelled: freedom was so wild.
In front maturity as he ascended
Retired like a horizon from the child,
The dangers and the punishments grew greater,
And the way back by angels was defended
Against the poet and the legislator.
W.H. Auden
W.H. Auden (1907-1973) was an English-American poet who is considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Auden's poetry often explored themes of love, politics, and morality, and his most famous works include "Funeral Blues" and "September 1, 1939." He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1948.